Your French Flag is an Insult to Me

humanity / compassion

It may not be the most romantic part of being alive, but humans will always care first and most deeply for other humans who are most like us. In the wake of senseless violence in Paris, we started criticizing others for showing compassion that wasn’t as “good” as our own compassion. Why do we do that?

You changed your profile picture last month, didn’t you? It’s got the colors of France over the top now, or it’s the Eiffel Tower turned into a peace sign, or that picture of you on the Champs-Élysées last summer. You changed it because you heard news of explosions and gunfire and senseless death, and you felt something profound. You felt human connection. Compassion.